Pictures: New Year around the world

People around the world are welcoming 2018 with fireworks displays, partying and an array of local traditions.

(180101) -- PARIS, Jan. 1, 2018 (Xinhua) -- Photo taken on Jan. 1, 2018 shows the Arch of Triumph in Paris, France. Paris celebrated the coming of the year 2018 by projecting an animation entitled "Parisian Life" on the Arch of Triumph. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)(zcc)

People around the world are welcoming 2018 with fireworks displays, partying and an array of local traditions.

One of the first countries to welcome the new year was Australia, where fireworks exploded over the iconic Sydney Opera House as people watched from boats in the harbor nearby.

Hundreds of couples took part in a mass wedding ceremony in Jakarta, Indonesia, on New Year’s Eve designed to help the poor who were unable to afford a proper wedding.
Buddhists lit candles during New Year celebrations at Jogyesa temple in Seoul, South Korea.

HAPPY NEW YEAR! We are MAKING AMERICA GREAT AGAIN, and much faster than anyone thought possible!

In some other places, the tone was more somber. Just hours after a fireworks display over the Taedong River in Pyongyang, North Korea, leader Kim Jong Un said in a New Year’s Day speech the country had achieved the historic feat of “completing” its nuclear forces despite U.S. opposition.

Some 100 people gathered outside the Reina nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey, to remember victims of a New Year’s mass shooting a year ago. The group, holding carnations, observed a moment of silence for 39 people killed in the attack.

In Scotland, a torchlight procession began Edinburgh’s famed Hogmanay New Year’s Eve celebration.

A woman in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, threw flowers into the water to ask Yemanja, goddess of the sea, for good luck in the new year.

(180101) -- ZHENGZHOU, Jan. 1, 2018 (Xinhua) -- A light show is held to celebrate the New Year at the Qianxi Square in Zhengzhou, capital of central China's Henan Province, Jan. 1, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhu Xiang) (zkr)

A couple hug each other as they watch fireworks exploding over Copacabana beach during New Year's celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Picture: Leo Correa/AP

Confetti drops over the crowd as the clock strikes midnight during the New Year's celebration in Times Square as seen from the Marriott Marquis in New York, Monday, Jan. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

A bride and groom react to their marriage documents during a mass wedding held in celebration of the New Year in Jakarta, Indonesia. Hundreds of couples took part in the mass marriage held by the city government to help the poor who were unable to afford a proper wedding. Picture: Dita Alangkara/AP

North Koreans watch as fireworks explode as part of New Year celebrations, above the Taedong River as viewed from Kim Il Sung Square, in Pyongyang. Picture: Jon Chol Jin/AP

Fireworks explode over the temple of the Parthenon at the Acropolis hill to mark the New Year's celebrations in Athens, Greece. Picture: Yorgos Karahalis/AP

Bosnian people celebrate New Year in downtown Sarajevo. Picture: Amel Emric/AP

Fireworks explode over the River Thames behind the Elizabeth Tower which contains the bell known as "Big Ben", at the Houses of Parliament in London, as New Year's celebrations take place after midnight. Picture: Matt Dunham/AP

A woman offers flowers to Yemanja, goddess of the sea, for good luck in the coming year during New Year's Eve festivities in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The belief in the goddess comes from the African Yoruba religion brought to America by West African slaves. Picture: Leo Correa/AP

People watch the fireworks exploding over Copacabana beach during the New Year's celebrations in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Picture: Leo Correa/AP